You are here

Vision and Mission Statements

Mission

The mission of the Department of Foreign Language Education is to educate competent teachers who possess a sound knowledge of contemporary issues in the field of English language education, as well as the skills required for language teaching and who are prepared to make scientific contributions at both national and international levels through high quality research in applied linguistics. In its training of competent academics and scientists in the field, the Department ranks among the world’s most prestigious foreign language education departments.

The courses offered in the undergraduate program are designed to improve students’ foreign language skills and to equip them with the professional foundation they need for effective teaching practices. To this end, the undergraduate program seeks to educate prospective teachers who

are able to use English effectively, fluently and accurately in everyday situations and in academic settings,

are aware of the rapidly changing role of English as a lingua franca,

are aware of the multidisciplinary nature of foreign language learning and teaching,

are open to international scientific and academic collaboration,

can adjust teaching techniques to the age and ability of their students,

can make efficient use of modern technology,

are able to develop valid and reliable tools for assessing and evaluating foreign language skills, and who

are able to transfer their knowledge and skills to the teaching of languages other than English.

The courses offered in the senior year that are related to practice teaching and the year-long practicum at public and private schools in Istanbul afford our pre-service teachers the opportunity to make connections between theory and practice. Through elective courses, students have the opportunity to explore professional and cultural domains related to their specific area of interest. Student exchange protocols with universities around the world help students to appreciate different cultures of the world while they gain experience living abroad and to learn or build on skills in languages other than English.

It is also part of our mission to educate individuals who

continuously question and investigate,

are adept at accessing information through legitimate means,

adopt contemporary and scientific principles and methods and use their knowledge and skills to contribute to solving local and global problems,

can improve themselves through self-evaluation,

are respectful of and sensitive to individual and cultural differences,

have adopted universal ethical values,

can take initiative and assume responsibility,

are creative and open to collaboration,

have excellent communication skills,

are sensitive to social responsibilities, and who

are willing to take part in such activities.

In the MA and PhD programs, theory and practice in the fields of applied linguistics and foreign language education are complementary. Our future academics are encouraged to contribute to their field of specialization by conducting qualitative and quantitative research and to share that research in both local and international publications.

The faculty members of the Department specialize in areas ranging from neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics to foreign language learning, technology-enhanced language teaching, teacher education, and language assessment. Their wide-ranging scientific contributions to the field are evidenced in national and international publications as well as numerous research projects, some of which are supported by prestigious institutions such as the Boğaziçi University Scientific Research Projects Commission (BAP), the Scientific and Technological Research Council in Turkey (TÜBİTAK), and the European Union.

By organizing national and international conferences and by hosting renowned scholars from various parts of the world, we create opportunities for our students to exchange ideas and initiate international research collaboration. In addition to participating in such events, graduate students are encouraged to attend national and international conferences. They also have opportunities to work as research/teaching assistants or as researchers in projects conducted by the faculty in the department.

Vision

The Boğaziçi University Foreign Language Education Department, through the strength of its undergraduate and graduate programs, will continue to educate English language teachers who are equipped with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to address the needs of our country and to contribute to the development of foreign language education policies worldwide in line with the ever-changing global environment for foreign language teaching. They will, in turn, educate the next generation of future academics and scholars.